Corruption making poor poorer in society – Methodist Bishop

The Bishop of the Sekondi Diocese of the Methodist Church of Ghana, the Rt Rev Edward Ofori Donkor, has attributed the gradual decline in the Ghanaian economy to massive corruption at all levels.

The poor, he observed, had become poorer due to corruption among the elite class, which included religious leaders, heads of organisations and companies, managers, Members of Parliament, ministers of state, judges, school heads, as well as business people.

Sodom and Gomorrah The Rt Rev. Donkor, who made the observation when he addressed the 53rd annual synod of the diocese at the Calvary Methodist Chapel at Aboadze in the Western Region, said it was high time the masses stood up against that social canker.

”Corruption has been the greatest challenge confronting the country and, therefore, nobody should entertain the idea that the church should remain silent in the face of political, economic, social and developmental challenges in the country in which Christians are also citizens.

“Ghana is staggering and the nation is falling because our words and deeds are against the Lord. We parade our corruption, iniquities and evil like Sodom and Gomorrah and we have brought disaster upon ourselves,” he said.

The theme for the conference was, ”Witnessing to Christ: Teaching for Effective Christian Formation — The Youth in Perspective”.

No chalk He reminded Ghanaians that ”wealth is okay but that wealth should not be ill-gotten as a result of underpaying workers”.

“The rich are living in luxury and wantonness at the expense of the poor, while the people in authority are growing fat and enjoying good life, oblivious of the fact that our schools have no chalk,” he stated.

Doomsday He said the church had been so silent in the face of human exploitation and not outspoken enough for the poor and oppressed, pointing out that it was time the church let everybody know that every day was doomsday, “not only for the individual Christian and the believer but also those who hold great economic and political power”.

Frustration of parents

The Bishop noted that young people had become a source of frustration to parents, teachers and the nation as a whole and it was very important that the church took a serious view at providing comprehensive training for children and the teeming youth in the church.

Minister The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Alfred Ekow Gyan, said the government was doing all in its power and capability to manage the economy properly but called on everyone to show patriotism, discard any pessimism and come together as one people to confront the challenges head-on.